Support for LGBT rights and the incidence of LGBT candidates have dramatically increased in recent years. But do voters (still) penalize lesbian, gay, transgender (LGT) candidates? Original survey experiments were conducted with nationally representative samples in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. To varying degrees, voters penalize LGT candidates in all countries, with penalties strongest in the US. Yet, progressives, people with LGBT friends, and non-religious individuals do not discriminate against gays and lesbians, while transgender candidates face stronger bias. Electability concerns, outright prejudice, and identity cueing explain voter bias. This study contributes to the literature on minority candidates and disentangles correlated candidate

Support for LGBT rights and the incidence of LGBT candidates have dramatically increased in recent years. But do voters (still) penalize lesbian, gay, transgender (LGT) candidates? Original survey experiments were conducted with nationally representative samples in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. To varying degrees, voters penalize LGT candidates in all countries, with penalties strongest in the US. Yet, progressives, people with LGBT friends, and non-religious individuals do not discriminate against gays and lesbians, while transgender candidates face stronger bias. Electability concerns, outright prejudice, and identity cueing explain voter bias. This study contributes to the literature on minority candidates and disentangles correlated candidate